What is your name? 
Ina Forsman 

What is your genre of music? 
Soul, RnB, Jazz

Give us a little bio about you. 
I’m Ina Forsman, a Finnish Soul singer-songwriter living in Berlin. I’ve been doing music for the past 10 years, and toured around Europe & the US. I’ve soon released 3 solo albums, the third one being my new album “All There Is”. On my new album I took the challenge, and wrote all the songs by myself, as well as was in full control of choosing the producers, musicians and songs for the album. It’s my most independent project so far, and that’s why it’s naturally the most personal.

What made you go into music? 
since I was 6 years old I’ve dreamt of becoming a singer. Later on I realised I want to also be a songwriter, and that’s when I started to write songs for my first album. Only recently, a few years ago, I decided I also want to be a musician, and I started to learn to play instruments like guitar and piano, as well as mixing and the production side of music. Nowadays I like to be as involved with my music as I possibly can!

Who are your influences? 
It’s hard to say because I find inspiration and influence everywhere in so many genres and artists. For my new album I’ve been especially inspired by 60s soul classics. 

Are you signed? 
I’m signed to Jazzhaus Records

You released your new single ‘Love Me’, tell us more about the single. 
Love Me was one of the first songs I wrote for the album. Already then, at the very beginning stages I could tell that it’s gonna be the leading single of the album, it was love at first sight. The song is filled with hope and love, though having a blue tone to it. The song will make you dance and cry at the same time!

What is the meaning behind the single? 
I wrote the song about the thoughts and emotions you go through when you’re getting closer to the moment of saying “I love you” to someone for the first time. It’s that stage of the relationship where you believe nothing can ruin it, and the love will last eternally. With the composing, lyrics and arrangements we tried to create the atmosphere of this fleeting, yet life changing moment, and I think we truly succeeded. Now every time I perform the song, I’m reminded by my first “I love you” to the love of my life. That’s quite sweet.

What was the writing and recording process like? 
The song has gone through many stages, more than any other song of mine actually. I wrote the song alone one night. I got the chords, melody and lyrics down quite quickly, but I worked on perfecting the chorus for a LONG time; I really wanted it to be perfect and have more symbolic language than what was the first idea.  First I recorded a demo with just piano & vocals. Then I worked on a full band midi demo that I did with my guitar player Reggie, who worked up a drum, bass and guitar track, and I did piano, strings and horns tracks. We first recorded the song with a real band in the studio in Berlin, but later on I also recorded the song with a band in Helsinki; this last one is the version that made it on the album and is now released on single.

Describe the track in two words. 
Love awaken 

Who did you work with on the single? 
I wrote the song and produced it with Michael Bleu, Finnish multitalented producer. He also directed and filmed the music video!

Will we see a Music video for single ‘Love Me’, what can we expect from the creative process? 
There will indeed be a music video. The music video is gonna take you on a journey on a very Scandinavian way of celebrating life: going on a cruise ship. The music video’s theme is “cinematic queer love story”. It’s perfectly in time to celebrate the pride month!

Will we see an EP or Album and if so, can you give us a teaser of what to expect? 
My 3rd solo album ALL THERE IS will be released 24th of June. You can expect cinematic soul, big arrangements and dynamic vocals. Deep love, deep emotions. 10 songs go through all phases of finding true love; the first night, deepening love, inner battles and conquering life’s battles together till the bitter end.

Do you have any live shows or a tour coming up and if so let us know where we can catch you at? 
I’m doing shows constantly and have several tours coming up. 

What else can we expect in 2022?
Right now I’m creating a badass live show with my band. We are of course putting together the songs from the new album, but also rearranging my older songs so the show is gonna be banging from start to finish and perfectly in line with the music I create today.

Will we see any collaborations and if so, can you tell us more about them? 
I have some exciting collaborations coming up outside of my genre of music, but unfortunately it’s still very hush hush… Stay tuned!

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years? 
I’d hope to have released a very artistic double album that I’ve been fantasising about lately. 
I’d hope to have successful tours and get to perform on big stages. 
I’d hope I’ve learnt to love and appreciate my true self outside of music, not only my artist self. 

What quote or saying do you always stick by? 
Right now I’m trying to learn to live by the phrase I wrote on the song ‘Don’t Lose Today’: 
“Don’t lose today, only hoping for a better tomorrow”

When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget? 
1. Lyrics, most importantly haha 
2. Drinking A LOT of water on the day of the show 
3. My look; Make up, hair, outfit. I love to get ready for a show! 
4. Opening my voice and stretching my body. 
5. One thing I actually have to forget: how to take myself seriously. Show is always the best when I let loose and have fun.

Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you? 
My Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Tiktok can all be found with my name